Artifact Research
Artifact Research is the branch of Research concerned with the identification and possible testing of dangerous, unpredictable artifacts of extraterrestrial origin. An artifact is a large item of non-Nanotransen origin whose function is unknown. These artifacts are usually dug up by miners, and the station always starts with one in the Artifact Lab.
Running the ArtLab program
Discovering an artifact's effects takes more than repeatedly analysing it (although this helps in a fashion). Using the DWAINE terminal, you can advance the station's knowledge of artifacts and their properties and make your analysis more precise. To do this, you must:
1) Enter your card into the terminal, and type 'term_login'
2) Type 'cd /mnt/artlab' to access the research program.
3) Type 'xeno research' to list the available areas of research.
Everything you need is displayed on that screen. Be warned, however, that there are two research topics every tier that you will not be able to research. Once you reach this point, you will be prompted to type 'xeno advance' to move to the next tier. For your efforts, you get a message from CentCom that's broadcast to the station, and upon reaching tier 3, the station receives $30,000 to its budget. Research will go faster if there is money in the research budget, which initially starts empty.
Analyzing Artifacts
Use the artifact analyzer to study the artifact next to it. The speed and accuracy of its report will increase as you research more.
Artifact Origins
| Analysis | Notes |
|---|---|
| Martian | Usually biological effects |
| Ancient | Ancient Robots -- usually technological effects |
| Precursor | Random effects |
| Wizard | Magical effects |
| Extradimensional | aka Eldritch -- usually bad news |
Activation
| Analysis | Method |
|---|---|
| Heat | Apply welder, igniter, etc. |
| Chemical | Provide the appropriate chemical (water, acid, whatever) |
| Impact | Shoot it with Detective's Revolver or a traitor weapon like the c-saber |
| Energy | Shoot it with a taser |
| Touch | Touch it! |
Effects
| Analysis | Notes |
|---|---|
| Teleportation | Teleports people randomly |
| Non-lethal Stunning Trap | Knocks people briefly unconscious |
| Power Drain | Drains power from nearby APCs and Cyborgs |
| EMP | Sends out an EMP blast |
| Mineral Accumulator | Summons meteors |
Range
| Analysis | Notes |
|---|